Middle East / North Africa and the Millennium Development Goals ...

4
Markus Loewe
it would not be sustainable, because the success would not be rooted in
structural change. It would, together with the resources invested for the
purpose, vanish without a trace as soon as these social welfare systems
turned out to be unaffordable.
A further risk is that the MDG agenda awakens unrealistic expectations.
At the moment it appears unlikely that all developing countries will
achieve the MDGs. Still, they are a reasonable and promising means of
spurring all relevant actors to accept the greater commitment and to mobilize
the additional resources needed to at least come closer to achieving the
goals agreed on. If, however, the public gets the impression that the MDGs
are realistic for all countries of the world, a lack of success could entail a
major loss of credibility for DC – particularly if it turns out in 2015 that a
good number of developing countries have failed to achieve the MDGs.
By the same token, markedly development-minded governments in the developing
world could find themselves faced with a delegitimization problem
if they disappoint the exaggerated hopes that have been awakened
among their populations.
Still, the MDG agenda does offer chances. It amounts to the first common
goal system ever adopted for all actors involved in development policy,
one that has been agreed upon by donor countries and international organizations
alike:
– The eight goals are a frame of reference in which all actors can be
expected to seek orientation in their development policy. They should
bundle their development-related efforts (as to benefit from synergies)
and coordinate (harmonize) them each of them with the others.
In the process, however, the actors involved would be well advised
not to lose sight of the political and other goals set out in the Millennium
Declaration.
– The common goal system can contribute to a more pronounced outcome
orientation in both development policy and cooperation.
Looked at against the background of the MDGs, the question of what
inputs are provided by individual actors is a secondary one. The crucial
question is what impacts these actors achieve (individually or
jointly). This is the measure by which they will be gauged. They
should, however, be careful not to stick too doggedly to the exact targets
set out in the MDG agenda. It would for the most part be prefer-
German Development Institute